You’re Not As In Control As You Think: 7 Shocking Ways Your Environment Shapes You

Discover the invisible forces that nudge your choices, moods, and even your destiny.

Imagine walking into a room painted a soft, bubblegum pink. You might not think much of it—but this color, known as 'Drunk Tank Pink,' has been used in prison cells to pacify aggressive inmates, with measurable results. The calming effect is so powerful that it’s been adopted by police departments and correctional facilities around the world. This is just the tip of the iceberg in Adam Alter’s fascinating book, 'Drunk Tank Pink,' which explores the subtle, often invisible ways our environment shapes our behavior, thoughts, and even our sense of self.

Alter’s central thesis is both simple and profound: our surroundings—colors, symbols, names, weather, and the people around us—are constantly influencing our decisions and feelings, usually without our conscious awareness. Consider the color red: it’s not just a shade, but a powerful cue. In sports, athletes wearing red are statistically more likely to win, and in sales environments, red can make people more aggressive and competitive. Even the weather plays its part; people are more generous and optimistic on sunny days, while rain can dampen not just the streets but our spirits and willingness to help others.

Names, too, are more than labels. Research cited by Alter shows people with certain names are more likely to gravitate toward professions that match their monikers—a phenomenon called nominative determinism. Think of a Dr. Baker who bakes or a lawyer named Law. It sounds like a joke, but the data is real. Even the ease of pronouncing a name affects a person’s success: people with fluent, simple names are more likely to be hired, promoted, or elected.

Labels frame our reality. In one experiment, when teachers were told certain students were 'bloomers' (picked at random), those students actually performed better over time—simply because the label changed how teachers treated them. Labels can also distort memory: people who heard a car 'smashed' rather than 'hit' in an accident video later recalled the event as more violent and even remembered seeing broken glass that wasn’t there.

Symbols are everywhere, and their power is immense. A fleeting glimpse of the Apple logo made people more creative on problem-solving tasks, compared to those who saw the IBM logo. Handling money before a painful experience—like dipping your hand in hot water—can actually reduce the sensation of pain. Even national flags can sway political attitudes, making people more moderate or, in some cases, more aggressive, depending on the context.

Perhaps most surprising is the effect of social presence. In an office kitchen, adding a poster of watching eyes above the honesty box tripled contributions, even though no one was actually watching. We are wired to care about how we’re perceived, and even the suggestion of observation can bring out our better selves.

So, what can we do with this knowledge? Awareness is the first step. By recognizing the hidden cues in our environment, we can make more intentional choices—choosing colors that soothe, labels that encourage, and symbols that unite. We can also design our spaces and routines to foster honesty, kindness, and resilience. The world is full of cues, and while we often feel in control, we are, in many ways, products of the environments we inhabit. But with awareness, we can become co-authors of our own stories.

For a deeper dive into these ideas, check out reviews and summaries at LifeClub, Bookey, and Goodreads. 1 3 4